Penney inducted into hall of fame
Pero Cameron finally has some Kiwi company in Fiba’s international basketball hall of fame, with fellow Tall Black and New Zealand hoops legend Kirk Penney part of the 2024 induction.
Penney, who played in two Olympics and four World Cups for the Tall Blacks during a remarkable 15-year career, was one of seven icons of the sport added to the international pantheon, with their additions to be honoured at a September ceremony in Singapore.
The now 43-year-old Penney is joined by NBA stars Reggie Miller (USA) and Predrag ‘Peja’ Stojakovic (Serbia) in the class of ‘24, alongside Romain Sato (Central African Republic) and women’s players Miao Lijie (China), Danira Nakic-Bilic (Croatia) and Skaidrite Smildzina-Budovska (Latvia). Daniel Peterson (USA) was also inducted for his contribution to coaching.
Notably Penney, Stojakovic and Miller all featured at the 2002 world championships (as they were then known) in Indianapolis, won by Stojakovic’s Yugoslavia, with Penney’s New Zealanders finishing an historic fourth and Miller’s USA a disappointing sixth.
Penney’s inclusion in basketball’s exclusive pantheon is a deserved one after a glittering career at the collegiate, professional and international level, where his contributions measured up favourably against some of the very best the game has seen. He became just the second Kiwi to make it to the NBA, playing six games in total for the Miami Heat and LA Clippers from 2003-05.
He also had a well-travelled and hugely successful professional career, spending much of his time in Europe, but also having two successful stints with his hometown New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL. He helped guide the club to their first championship in 2011, and retired in their singlet at the end of the 2017-18 season.
“It’s an incredible honour for me, and probably more than anything it’s a testament to all the hard work by a great group of people. We took enormous pride in carrying the kiwi flag around the world,” reflected Penney.
Penney first represented the Tall Blacks as an 18-year-old in 1999 and went on to play 179 games for his country, with his final appearance at the 2014 World Cup in Spain. The smooth-stroking two-guard scored over 2000 points for New Zealand and earned a cast-iron reputation as one of the pre-eminent scorers and outside shooters in the international game.
The Kiwi sharpshooter appeared in two Olympics – 2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens – and four World Cups between 2002 and ‘14. In ‘02 on that memorable journey to the seminals he averaged 16.9ppg, as a collegian with Wisconsin, while hitting 45.5% from beyond the arc; and in 2010 in Turkey he opened with 37 against Lithuania and finished second highest scorer in the tournament with 24.7ppg.
In 27 World Cup games Penney ranks fifth all-time in 3 pointers made (60), sixth in free throws made (97), seventh in field goals made (145 ) and is 12th leading scorer (447).
“Playing in the Olympics Games was so special. We’ve been able to play in a couple of them and it was something we’ll never forget,” he said. “Being able to compete in the semifinals in 2002 [at the world champs] will always stand as an incredible achievement. That was a very special team; positionally we had all the bases covered and we had a courageous mindset.
“We always felt like we could play with the best, compete with them and be in a position to win. That was a mentality that took years to mould ... we had to stand on the shoulders of those before us and trailblaze a bit with that group. I think we did a great job carving a path for that next generation.”